HLB Team
Lennart Berglund
President
Owner and President of HLB System Solutions since 2000.
Laurie Matheson
VP Finance and Operations
After attending the University of Waterloo for Accounting, and then graduating with an Honours Diploma in Business Administration: Accounting from Algonquin College in Ottawa, Laurie first started her career in the banking industry. That was followed by a number of years at home, raising a son and daughter, and offering home day care. Her career resumed with a position as office manager in a chemical manufacturing plant. Laurie then accepted the position as office manager with HLB System Solutions in March of 2003. Through the years, the position transitioned to that of Operations Manager and now currently Operations Controller. Laurie strives for improvements in the efficiency of day–to–day operations and ultimately, for exceptional customer service. She is responsible for the accounting process, company financial reporting, and HR duties, as well as a member of the management leadership team. She enjoys the challenge of the multi-faceted role and the working relationship she has with the staff. Laurie and her husband, John, reside in Fergus and have been happily married for over 33 years. In her spare time, Laurie is very busy with church activities, and enjoys reading, theatre, and spending time with her family and friends.
Mark Rye
VP Sales and Service
Mark Rye joined HLB in April of 2016, heading up Sales and Marketing. Mark brings over 15 years of experience in software and IT services to HLB. He has previously worked with Guelph based Labtronics (now Perkin Elmer) and Canada’s largest software company OpenText in Waterloo. At the VP level Mark helped lead the growth of Ottawa based, Perram Corporation. At Perram, a consulting firm specializing in Records and Information Management, he also helped spin out FileFacets - an innovative software system for the cleanup, classification and migration of large file repositories.
More recently Mark has acted as an Industry Specialist with Innovation Guelph, consulting and mentoring Guelph based technology companies. He was also placed by the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto as a local Embedded Executive helping to lead and accelerate technology development here in Guelph. In addition, Mark has been a trusted advisor and consultant to many start-up and small technology companies in Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and beyond.
Mark has called Guelph home for the past 15 years, enjoying life in “The Royal City” with his wife and two daughters. Having one daughter who figure skates and another who plays hockey means a lot of time spent in local arenas. Mark has a passion for music which includes singing, song writing, guitar and most recently playing bass with Guelph’s own Corduroy Road band.
Brian Furner
Virtual CIO
Brian was born and raised in Cambridge Ontario. From a young age Brian was interested in computers and has been working with them since elementary school. Through elementary school and high school Brian also had a keen interest in football, rugby and badminton. He went on to post-secondary education at the University of Guelph and Conestoga College. After joining HLB as a coop student from Conestoga College, Brian became a full-time HLB employee in 2005. Brian started his career at HLB as an Application Developer and eventually managed the development department. His involvement in the sales side of the development department led to a change in roles to a sales/account manager position. Working with the technical team and with additional training Brian became an experienced technician with an expertise in VMWare and now holds the role of senior technician at HLB. During his spare time, Brian can be found with his wife and two young daughters at their family cottage or camping. Brian’s wife Kacy is an avid long distance runner and his daughters participate in swimming and gymnastics. With an already busy schedule, Brian fits in Ultimate Frisbee and rock climbing when time permits.
Nick Miter
Technical Sales Administrator
Nick Miter has been a great addition to the HLB team since coming onboard in the fall of 2015. Born and raised in Kitchener, Nick now calls the beautiful town of Ingersoll, Ontario home. Nick started off early in technology, with his trusty Commodore 64, which sparked a lifelong interest in computing.
Following this interest Nick studied (Electronic Engineering Technology – Computer Systems) at Conestoga College preparing him for his role travelling the globe implementing laboratory automation systems for Mantech. After many years on the road in Water, Waste Water, Food, Pharma and Petrochemical labs around the world, Nick landed with HLB to bring his knowledge of hardware and software systems to businesses in Southwestern Ontario.
When not busy sourcing systems for our clients, Nick is at home with his wife in Ingersoll, and enjoys the many outdoor escapes that the area has to offer.
Larry Dietrich
Customer Support Technician
Larry was born in Kitchener and raised in Waterloo. During his High School years, computers were being introduced into the classrooms and this is where his interest in Information Technology began. Together with an interest in computers, he was also very much interested in Automotive Mechanics and he considered, for a brief period, becoming an Automotive Technician. He received a book prize for the highest grade point average in the Auto Shop course during his senior year of High School. Since spending a great deal of his leisurely time on computers, however, he developed a growing interest and soon realized that this was his passion which “set the stage” for his future vocation. He applied and was accepted into the “Telecommunications Technologist” program offered through Conestoga College in Kitchener and he successfully completed the course.
Larry’s first job was installing security systems and then worked with business computers starting in 1985 and joining HLB System Solutions in 2006 as a IT Consultant.
Larry resides in Guelph with his wife Elizabeth and has 3 children. All three children play baseball, with the youngest playing at the rep level. Larry keeps busy with supporting his children’s baseball teams.
Larry’s High School interest and knowledge of automotive mechanics have not gone to waste since he does spend leisurely time trouble-shooting and repairing his own vehicles, playing baseball and golfing.
Trevor
Professional Services
Trevor has a passion for technology that started at an early age while building his first computer for a friend. This passion is what led Trevor to pursue a career in IT.
Trevor obtained his first tech support job almost 15 years ago, working as a Geek Squad Agent for BestBuy. Trevor has since furthered his IT pursuits working in a number of IT roles while completing his Microsoft certifications.
When he is not immersed in the tech world, Trevor enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. Trevor has a passion for cooking and gardening and boasts an impressive tomato and hot pepper garden.
Trevor recently joined the staff of HLB System Solutions as a customer support technician and looks forward to new opportunities for professional growth and development.
Aaron Santilli
Network Administrator
Aaron Santilli was born in Calgary and raised in Vancouver. After living on the west coast, his family relocated to Guelph where he continues to live.
In his free time he helps out on the family farm and enjoys seeding the fields and taking care of the animals. Aaron has been dedicated to Martial Arts throughout his life, teaching new students and competing in tournaments.
He has always been interested in technology and has been tinkering with computers since he was young. Following his interest in technology he completed an IT program at Conestoga.
Currently Aaron is working at HLB where he can apply his passion for technology and enjoy his career as a customer support specialist.
James Butcher
Network Administrator
James was born in Cambridge, raised in Kitchener, but now calls Guelph home as of January 2018. After high school James worked in various automotive shops eventually becoming an apprentice and earning a 310S Automotive Service Technician license. Always having a passion for everything IT, James returned to Conestoga College to attend a few IT related continuing education programs since the early 2000's, ultimately enrolling as a full-time student to complete the Computer Programmer/Analyst program.
During time away from work, James enjoys time with his girlfriend and step daughter, playing music, working on personal computer projects, and playing video games.
James is excited to expand on his knowledge and skillset as an HLB team member, and looks forward to supporting clients as a Network Administrator.
Paula Amantea
Software Development
Paula was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and lived there until moving to Kitchener, ON in August of 2015. Studying English from an early age allowed Paula to quickly transition to life in Canada. Paula graduated from the University of Sao Paulo with a degree in BioMedical Informatics and held a number of positions in software development in Brazil.
Among her roles she has worked with CapGemini in the development of custom software applications and as a Software Development Coordinator with Unear, a leading sales and marketing software platform in Brazil. Working with HLB, Paula has quickly become a key member of the development team, playing key roles with a number of large development projects.
Since moving to Canada with her Husband and Miniature Schnauzer Paula is enjoying the seasons that our climate has to offer by ice skating and snowboarding through the winter and biking and enjoying the outdoors in the warmer months.
Hind Kandil
Software Development
Hind Kandil is currently a software developer at HLB solutions. She has over 10 years of experience in web and software development. Hind has worked for and with a number of IT companies, Sandbox Software Solutions located in Guelph and, with Reynolds and Reynolds: a major American company specialized in retail management system. Her major achievements include developing online learning platform for both private and public sectors ,and building software for tracking and billing phone calls. She has earned her master degree, with highest distinction, in Information Systems from Ferris State University in Michigan, United States. She has also a multilingual background; she is fluent in both English and French. Hind likes also swimming and reading.
